In recent years, there is an increasing demand for portable terminal devices, which are represented by mobile telephones, to be provided with a GPS (Global Positioning System) function that displays the location information of users.
In order to provide the GPS function, physical quantity sensors, such as magnetic sensors and acceleration sensors, are used in the portable terminal device. Magnetic sensors specify the location information, such as the three-dimensional azimuth and orientation of the device, by detecting the terrestrial magnetism. Acceleration sensors specify the location information by detecting the direction of movement in a position where the terrestrial magnetism cannot be detected. As these types of physical quantity sensors, there are those in which a plurality of physical quantity sensor chips (magnetic sensor chips) are arranged such that they are mutually inclined so as to miniaturize its size and reduce its thickness.
A physical quantity sensor of a configuration which inclines these physical quantity sensor chips, highly retains the sensitivity in a predetermined axis direction according to the inclination direction, and possesses an advantage in that the sensitivity in the other axis directions, including the directions along the surface of the substrate, can be decreased. It can, therefore, be thought that these physical quantity sensors will become mainstream in the future.
This type of physical quantity sensor is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication, No. 2004-128473. This physical quantity sensor 106 comprises, as shown in FIG. 26 and FIG. 27, two mutually inclined physical quantity sensor chips 2 and 3, and measures the orientation and magnitude of an external magnetic field. This physical quantity sensor 106 is produced using a lead frame 4 which is formed by applying a pressing process or an etching process, or both of these processes, to a metallic thin plate.
The lead frame 4 shown in FIG. 28 includes: a rectangular frame portion 5a which forms the outer rectangular frame; a plurality of leads 5b which protrude perpendicularly from the peripheral side of this rectangular frame portion 5a towards the inward direction; connecting leads 5d which extend from the end portion 5c side of the rectangular frame portion 5a towards the inward direction; and two stage portions 6 and 7 which are connected to, and supported by, these connecting leads 5d. The rectangular frame portion 5a, the leads 5b, and the connecting leads 5d are collectively referred to as the frame portion 5.
The two stage portions 6 and 7 are, as well as being formed in a rectangular shape, opposingly provided on either side of the center line of the lead frame 4, and possess a pair of protrusions 8 and 9 which protrude from the end portion 6a and 7a side towards the opposing stage portion 6 and 7 side. These protrusions 8 and 9 are formed in a thin rod shape, and are inclined on the back face 4a side of the lead frame 4.
The connecting leads 5d are suspending leads for supporting the stage portions 6 and 7 on the rectangular frame portion 5a. The one end portions 5e of the connecting leads 5d are connected to side end portions 6c and 7c, which are located on the two ends of the stage portions 6 and 7 on the one end portion 6b and 7b sides. These one end portions 5e of the connecting leads 5d on the stage portion 6 and 7 side have a concave notch provided on the side face thereof, which is formed thinner than the rest of the connecting lead 5d. This section is a twisting portion 5e, which is able to deform and twist at the time of inclining the stage portions 6 and 7.
The physical quantity sensor 106 shown in FIG. 26 and FIG. 27 includes: two physical quantity sensor chips 2 and 3 which are respectively fixed to the stage portions 6 and 7 of the abovementioned lead frame 4; metallic wires 10 for electrically connecting the physical quantity sensor chips 2 and 3 with the leads 5b; and a resin mold portion 11 which integrates the lead frame 4, the physical quantity sensor chips 2 and 3, and the leads 5b. Of the lead frame 4, sections of the leads 5b and the connecting leads 5d which protrude from the rectangular frame portion 5a and the resin mold portion 11 to the outside are cut off after resin formation.
The resin mold portion 11 represents the section enclosed by the two-dot and dashed lines shown from FIG. 26 to FIG. 28, and the side cross-section is formed to an approximate trapezoid shape. Within this resin mold portion 11, the end portions 8a and 9a of the protrusions 8 and 9 abut on a horizontal plane which is continuous with the back faces 4a of the leads 5b, and as a result, the stage portions 6 and 7 and the physical quantity sensor chips 2 and 3 are fixed by the resin in a state where they are inclined.
Next, a method for manufacturing this physical quantity sensor 106 is explained with reference to FIG. 28 and FIGS. 29A-29C.
Firstly, as shown in FIG. 28 and FIG. 29A, as a result of a photoetching process, the section further on the inside than the metallic thin plate stage portions 6 and 7, which include the leads 5b, is formed thinner than the other sections of the lead frame 4, and is, for example, formed to half the thickness. By applying a pressing process or an etching process, or both of these processes, a lead frame 4 in which the stage portions 6 and 7 are supported by the rectangular frame portion 5a as a result of the connecting leads 5d, is formed. At this time, as well as the leads 5b being formed on the lead frame 4, the twisting portions 5e are formed on the connecting lead 5d. Furthermore, the protrusions 8 and 9 are processed such that they are inclined with respect to the rectangular frame portion 5a. 
Next, as well as bonding the physical quantity sensor chips 2 and 3 to the surfaces 6d and 7d of the stage portions 6 and 7, the physical quantity sensor chips 2 and 3 are electrically connected to the leads 5b by the wires 10.
In the stage mentioned below, in which the stage portions 6 and 7 are inclined, since the bonding sections 10a of the physical quantity sensor chips 2 and 3, and the bonding sections 10b of the leads 5b become mutually separated, the wires 10 can be installed to the bonding sections 10a and 10b in a state where there is a surplus provided to the length or the height thereof.
Next, as shown in FIG. 29B, of the frame portion 5, a section excluding portions of the lead 5b and the connecting leads 5d, and the rectangular frame portion 5a, is sandwiched into the metallic molds D and E. These metallic molds D and E are used for forming the resin mold portion 11, which is for embeddingly fixing the physical quantity sensor chips 2 and 3 in the interior of the resin.
When the metallic molds D and E, which sandwich the frame portion 5 are clamped, the end portions 8a and 9a of the protrusions 8 and 9 are pressed by the inner face E1 of the metallic mold E. As a result of this force, the twisting portions 5e, which are located on the side end portions 6c and 7c of the stage portions 6 and 7, are twisted and deformed, and the stage portions 6 and 7 are respectively rotationally moved about an axis which connects the two twisting portions 5e. As a result, the stage portions 6 and 7, and the physical quantity sensor chips 2 and 3 are, as shown in FIG. 29C, inclined at a fixed angle with respect to rectangular frame portion 5a and the leads 5b. 
Thereafter, in a state where the inner face E1 of the metallic mold E is pressing the end portions 8a and 9a of the protrusions 8 and 9, the resin mold portion 11 is formed by injecting a melted resin into the metallic molds D and E, and embedding the physical quantity sensor chips 2 and 3 into the interior of the resin. As a result, the physical quantity sensor chips 2 and 3 are fixed within the resin mold portion 11 in a state where they are mutually inclined.
Lastly, the sections of the leads 5b and the connecting leads 5d which protrude outside the rectangular frame portion 5a and the resin mold portion 11, which is represented by two dot chain lines from FIG. 26 to FIG. 28, are cut off, and the production of the physical quantity sensor 106 is completed.
However, in this production method of the physical quantity sensor, since the protrusions are formed inclined with respect to the rectangular frame portion at the time of processing the lead frame, there was a tendency for the accuracy of the inclining process of these protrusions to deviate, and there were cases where the predetermined inclination angle could not be accurately secured. Furthermore, even if they were at a predetermined inclination angle at the time of processing, there were cases where a force attempting to return to the original position acted on the inclined protrusions thereafter, and deviations in the predetermined inclination angle occurred with time.
Furthermore, since the inclination angle of the stage portions before the resin mold portion is formed is maintained by thin rod-shaped protrusions abutting the inner face of the metallic mold, there were cases where when resin was injected into the metallic mold, the protrusions were displaced as a result of this injection, and distortions in the stage portion occurred. In the above cases, there was a problem in that the physical quantity sensor chip could not be accurately installed at a predetermined inclination angle.